Loughrigg Fell

Difficulty: Easy

Wainwright Guide: Book Three – Central Fells

Loughrigg Fell, despite being one of the smaller summits in the Lake District, is one of the most charming. It provides superb views of the surrounding area, including Windermere, Ambleside, Rydal Water and Grasmere! There are many routes to choose from and many secrets to find along the way. An absolute must do for those staying in Ambleside.

Jonny and I decided to undertake this walk when he was VERY hungover and I’m pretty sure it was the hottest day of the year too. Within metres of the summit he genuinely couldn’t go any further so we had to return at a later date to finish our walk, this time with our little baby having already arrived rather than with me being 5 months pregnant!

As always, we made sure we were prepared for all weather conditions on both trips, the second trip made slightly more difficult as we had to pack for little one as well! We used a combination of the Wainwright guidebook and OS maps to navigate.

Where to Start?

We started off our hike from Ambleside after lunch and made our way via St Mary’s Church to Rothay Park.

Upon reaching the other side of the park you’ll find a bridge over the River Rothay. Head across the bridge and turn right over a cattle grid.

The road will shortly fork to the left over another cattle grid. It is a tarmac road and is fairly steep but after a couple of twists and turns soon turns into a gravel track.

NB: You can also carry on beside the river until you come across a signpost pointing towards Loughrigg Fell. This will lead you to a gate that heads up through a lush green field.

Again, this part of the hike is very steep but immediately brings with it beautiful views of Great Langdale. By following the path through the grass you will come to another gate. This leads to a path through the woods.

This path comes out onto the road mentioned previously that heads up from the cattle grid. Turn right to head further up onto the fell.

Following the gravel track you eventually pass through yet another gate into the undulating landscape atop of Loughrigg Fell.

From here you can take multiple detours and zig zag your way through the bracken to the summit, but we opted to follow the path along to a small tarn where we turned right.

For the most part the path from here was easy to follow but there are a few scrambles and steep parts. It brings you up to a nice grassy plateau. Heading to the left brings you to a fantastic viewpoint of Windermere which is great for a quick detour.

Take the path to the right to get closer to the summit. There is a small hump on the left which is another amazing viewpoint, this time of Loughrigg Tarn below. It is an easy place to stop for a while and admire the scenery.

The Summit

We didn’t manage to reach the summit on our first outing due to Jonny’s massive hangover, however we were far more successful on our second attempt! With a couple more insignificant ascents and descents with a final steep push following a cairned path, you will reach the summit trig point.

From here you can see all the way towards Windermere in the South, and over Grasmere to Thirlmere in the North. Despite it’s small size this summit is windy and it has been every time I have been up to it! Therefore not necessarily the best place to sit and rest.

Descent

From the summit, take the fairly obviously marked path towards Grasmere. Although a little steep in places this path makes for an easy descent on the whole. The views over Grasmere you access on this path are second to none. Well worth the effort and easy to see why Loughrigg is a firm favourite amongst walkers.

Upon reaching the bottom of the descending path, head to the right. This path is well maintained and easy to traverse. In some places it forks downwards to the left to get closer to the water but you want to keep right and stay on the upper path.

Rydal Cave

By following the upper path you will eventually arrive at Rydal Cave, one of the most incredible things to see on the route. Used as an air raid shelter during the war the cave is a popular tourist spot. A series of stepping stones lead deeper into the cave. In the summer the water is the perfect spot for a quick dip, and to add to all that, it has also been used as a filming location for Netflix series The Witcher!

As you come out of the cave turn right and a path that snakes downwards through the trees will become immediately apparent. Take this path and follow it along past Rydal Water until it rejoins a tarmac road.

The tarmac road will reach a fork, with the left taking you over a bridge onto the A591, and the right snaking around the lower half of the fell along the River Rothay. This is the preferred route as it passes a set of famous stepping stones.

Eventually the road comes out back where you started by Rothay Park.

Although a fairly long route for just one small fell, Loughrigg contains so many hidden gems and provides such fantastic views over the surrounding landscape I would place it high on my Lake District bucketlist. Well worth the effort for all the rewards on offer.

Have you done Loughrigg yet? What route did you take? Let me know in the comments!